Nguyen Thi Anh Vien won seven gold medals at the eighth Asian Age Group Championships that concluded in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 4. — File Photo

HA NOI (VNS) — Top Vietnamese female swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien won seven gold medals at the eighth Asian Age Group Championships that concluded in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 4.

On the last day of competition, the southern Can Tho Province-born Vien took home two gold medals in the women's 1,500m and 400m medley.

Earlier, Vien broke the national record, clocking one minute and eight seconds in the 100m butterfly to bag the gold. She also swam to gold in the 200m medley, 200m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 50m backstroke events.

Additionally, the 19-year-old swimmer picked up a silver medal each in the women's 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 200m backstroke and 200m butterfly, as well as 100m backstroke events.

After four days of competition, Viet Nam had 15 gold medals, as Vien's teammates Tran Duy Khoi and Huynh Man Dat too added three to the tally, while Nguyen Diep Phuong Tram picked up two medals.

Vien, who won the silver medal at the recent International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Cup 2015 in Moscow, Russia, decided to skip three stages of the World Cup to focus on the Asian event.

The Asian championships are held every four years, with Group A of 18 – year-olds or over, Group B of 15-17 year-olds and Group C of 14-year-olds and under-14s.

On October 5, Vien and her coach Dang Anh Tuan left for South Korea to take part in the sixth CISM Military World Games, to be held from October 7 to 10. She will be the only Vietnamese swimmer to participate in the event.

Vien's Viet Nam Military team will take part in six events of shooting, boxing, swimming and judo, besides taekwondo and volleyball in the multi-sport event, organised every four years and a year before the Olympic Games.

About 8,700 soldiers from 110 countries will participate in the Games, which will be held for 10 days under the slogan of "Friendship Together, Peace Forever".

Vien was a phenomenon at the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore in June, after winning eight gold medals and a silver and bronze medal each, breaking eight SEA Games records. She has become one of Viet Nam's most prominent sportspersons.

Her target is to win medals at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil and to claim the gold medal at the 18th Asian Games in 2018. — VNS